In conversation with Milou and Petra
Milou and Petra. Two friends. Two entrepreneurs. Two lovers of beautiful and meaningful things. Together they created the lampshade collection Portofino.
Portofino in one or two words.
Milou: ‘Perfect souvenir.’
Petra: ‘Seaside Chic.’
What is the idea behind this collection?
Petra: ‘A combination of patterns, structures and prints that would have been on display in Portofino in the ’50s: long fringes, raffia, a floral sundress or parasol and the views... oh the views!’
How and with what did you start?
Milou: ‘My starting point for interior product collaborations always comes down to what would a hotel designed by Hôtel Magique in a collaboration with Palais look like? Where would it be located, who would be visiting, and especially for this collection: what would the lampshades look like? With almost all inspiration coming from travels and especially locations by the sea we focused on the Italian fishing village Portofino and envisioned our dream hotel here.’
Petra: ‘Milou presented us with a few moods and we went from there. Milou’s mood boards/collages are unparalleled.’
Milou: ‘Natural colors from the sea and its surroundings like blues and greens and of course the festive side that Portofino is also known for turned into a splash of red and the chic and fun fringes. Watery acrylics, the underwater world, and beautiful Italian words are some of the details you will find in this collection.’
An anecdote regarding this collection you’d like to share.
Petra: ‘We switched to a different manufacturer for the fringes VERY last minute. Oh, the joys of being a perfectionist ;).’
Name a remarkable detail of this collection.
Petra: ‘Every pattern and letter is hand drawn by Milou.’
Milou: ‘I love the hidden text details underneath the fringes of the lampshade Ava.’
Which lampshade is your favorite and why?
Milou: ‘Oh dear… Okay, that would be Amalfi in red, which was one of the first I had when thinking of Indian Summer hotel visits. A lampshade that takes me back in a split second.’
Petra: ‘The Ava in light blue, named after the elegant Ava Gardner, who was a local in Portofino. All Ava shades have a little surprise under their fringes.’
Working together, what was it like?
Milou: ‘Since Petra and I know each other for a long time and share a huge love for design, it was easy to understand both our thoughts and ideas for the designs.’
Petra: ‘Beautiful, as always. We have such an effortless, flowy way of creating together. It’s an absolute joy.’
Milou: ‘It was amazing to see Petra combining my designs with our ideas and turn these into the beautiful Portofino collection.’
